Suffering in silence

The achievement of outreach to and involvement of all regions of the province and the creation of unanimously supported and detailed recommendations was made possible through the committed contribution of all members of the Sexual Assault Services Planning Group (in alphabetical order): Lucille Harper, Bea LeBlanc, Sandra McFadyen, Helen Morrison, Doreen Paris, Irene Smith, Louise Smith-MacDonald [...] Addressing sexual violence is essential to the goals of the Nova Scotia Advisory Council on the Status of Women, in particular that of Women’s Personal Safety and Freedom from Violence, one of four key programs in the Council’s mandate. [...] Two key concerns were the ability of individuals and communities to access adequate services related to sexual violence and the need to prevent and undo the harms associated with sexual violence. [...] The purpose of the needs assessment was: (1) to expand the information and understanding available with respect to whether and where survivors access the help they need; (2) to determine how communities across the province are responding to the challenge of sexual violence; and (3) to identify what is needed to prevent and undo the harms of sexual violence in Nova Scotia.